Timmy Joe Blackburn, 59, was found with a gunshot wound on the porch of a residence in the Valley Springs area on the morning of October 14, 2021. He was taken to a local hospital and died later that day. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office classified the incident as a homicide and opened an investigation.

Authorities identified two persons of interest, Jason Lee Stockstill, then 49, and Heather Dawn Scallion, then 38. Blackburn’s black 1993 Chevrolet pickup was taken from the scene and later found on National Park Service land near Grinder’s Ferry in Searcy County. Investigators said the pair had abandoned the truck and fled on foot; both were later captured in Searcy County and charged in connection with Blackburn’s death. Police reported that Stockstill admitted to stealing the rifle used in the shooting and to shooting Blackburn. In April 2024 Stockstill’s charge was reduced from capital murder to first-degree murder under a plea deal.

Did anyone in the Valley Springs or Harrison area know Tim Blackburn or have information about what happened that morning?